11 August 2015

Colombia commits to ratifying the Convention

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President Juan Manuel Santos, with General (r) Oscar Naranjo, meeting with the CMC Director, Megan Burke and CCBL Director Alvaro Jimenez Millan. ©Juan David Tena - GIS. 10 August 2015.

On 10 August 2015the Colombian President, Juan Manuel Santos, announced that Colombia will ratify the Convention on Cluster Munitions by the time of the First Review Conference of the convention. The announcement was made in a meeting with the director of the Cluster Munition Coalition, Megan Burke and director of the Colombian Campaign to Ban Landmines, Álvaro Jiménez in Bogotá, Colombia.  

The Cluster Munition Coalition welcomes the commitment made by the President of Colombia.  

Colombian campaigners have been tirelessly advocating for ratification of the convention for over six years since Colombia signed it in 2008. Cluster Munition Coalition has been persistently encouraging the government of Colombia to ratify the convention. In April 2015, through a global action campaigners from around the world demanded Colombia to ratify the convention, by writing letters.

Argentina, Brazil, Cuba and Venezuela are the only Latin American countries that have not joined the Convention on Cluster Munitions yet. The Cluster Munition Coalition calls on all the four countries to accede to the global ban and move Latin America towards a cluster munition free region.

For further information, read the Press Release issued by the Cluster Munition Coalition and the Colombian Campaign to Ban Landmines.

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Megan Burke, CMC Director and Álvaro Jiménez, CCBL Director briefing media on ratification news following their meeting with the President of Colombia. © CCBL, 10 August 2015, Bogota, Colombia.